People have a variety of fears. Some fear darkness, some fear animals, some others fear loss of face, some people fear death of self or death of loved ones and other so many. Some even have irrational, inexplicable fears of such high intensity that can upset the quality of their everyday life. Such intense, irrational fears are called phobia.
Behavioural psychologists believe that fear is a learnt behaviour and hence can be unlearnt. But biological psychologists are now saying that fear is neurologically based. It is hardwired in our brain at birth! There are neurons (nerve cells) in the brain that are found to be ’fear receptors’. These neurons when excited produce certain chemicals (neuro transmitters) that create fear in our minds. Researchers say that there are certain innate fears in animals’ minds about their predators that make them escape from the site whenever they sense the presence of an enemy nearby. Recently in a laboratory experiment, psychologists have found out that if these particular ‘fear receptor cells’ are deactivated through genetic modification, the animal no more fears its predator. They genetically modified these cells in rats that made them become fearless of cats and they could move about freely even when they sensed a cat nearby!
If these experiments can be successfully conducted in other animals too and the results duplicated, it will not be long before a similar fearlessness induced in humans too through genetic modification!
But more than we fear all the external enemies, is it not our internal enemies that we are to be more worried about? – the “ari shadvarga” of ”kaama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, maatsarya”? It requires soul-modification through spirituality than genetic modification of science to rid ourselves of all these internal foes! 
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The above article is based on an article i read in Times of India, today.
That’s really interesting..
We can get rid of so many phobias.. and even exams
very true, nitin. the biggest fear of any student is ‘exam’!
don’t think the fear gets over once you enter adulthood! i have heard umpteen number of people recounting their dreams in which they would be appearing for an exam and either they are very late to enter the exam hall or they have forgotten all the answers or they have not started writing yet when the last bell rings! ………. and they wake up sweating, their hearts pounding……….. and my! what a relief to realize that it was only a dream and not reality……….
hey..I have failed so many times in exams in my dream.
..really wish such dreams don’t come true..
And i fear cockroaches..sound’s childish..but i do…I can manage a snake but not cockroach..
cockroaches, lizards, spiders……….. u name it, people have its phobia!
behavioural psychologists say that people can overcome phobia thro’ systematic de-sensitization. ie, persons with phobia are slowly exposed to the object of fear in a step-by-step manner, each time associating the exposure with a relaxation generating stimulus. the principle behind it is that opposite emotions can not exist at the same time. if a person is feeling happy at one point, sorrow can not appear at the same point of time. through this method, individuals are exposed to various stimuli – pictures to virtual images to real things, at the same time providing another stimulus (like, music perhaps) that relaxes the mind. (or using any other relaxation technique suitable to the client) when mind is relaxed, it can not be anxious. ofcourse, these exposures have to be carried out in presence of a professional who can understand the client’s fear and hence no untoward exposure of the fearful object happens. the professional will be constantly giving support and encouragement to help the client overcome this fear.
Thanks Latha for that detail explanation.
I got your point.
Does Yoga help to control these emotions??
Hey, cool tips.
Dear All,
I need help to understand if there are any courses in Bangalore to overcome these kind of fears. My son who is now 20 years old has this problem, he fears height, exams, fear of follower etc etc. Due to such problems he has become timid, introvert.
I need help to know if I can seek for help somehwhere in Bangalore.
dear vijay,
there are many psychologists / counselling centres who can help your son get over these fears that are phobic in nature. phobia is an exaggerated, illogical fear. fear of heights, fear of exams are quite common anxiety disorders. depending on the severity – either counselling or medications help. but fear of a follower may be a delusional fear that may require a psychiatrist’s help.
there are many psychologists and psychiatrists listed in the yellow pages. they are spread all over bangalore. depending on the distance and your convenience you may choose one and seek help. but do seek help immediately. delay may aggrevate his anxiety / phobic situation and he may start avoidance behaviour which is not very healthy for a teenager in this competative world.
wishing your son the very best.
It would be a terrible thing for people to become completely fearless. Fear serves a natural, protective function that literally saves lives.
It is when the fear response becomes out of proportion in our daily lives that fear becomes a problem instead of a protection. Latha’s advice to seek out a qualified professional is good advice. There is no shame in seeking help. Kudos to the person who takes a step forward toward positive change.
Spending some time every now and then reflecting on why we fear what we fear, in an effort to better understand fear, could help each of us use our intellect to better ourselves. If humanity better understood fear, a host of our societal problems could be reduced, maybe even eliminated.
dear paul ramsay,
thanks for your comment. yes, as you have written, introspection of ones thoughts can lead to solutions for many of our fears.
i just had a brief look at your URL. found it interesting. will go thro the posts sometime leisurely.
best to you.